2017 has certainly been an interesting time in Australian politics. However, away from the spotlight of Canberra the work of the Government continues. Last month I celebrated my ten years as the Member for Parkes. The Parkes Electorate is now nearly four times larger than it was at the 2007 election. Over this period of…
DetailsNationals welcome Banking Royal Commission The Federal Nationals have welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of a Royal Commission into banks and financial services. This comprehensive inquiry became necessary to restore trust and confidence in Australia’s banking and financial sector following years of concerns, particularly in rural and regional communities, about alleged misconduct and unethical behaviour…
DetailsDelivering faster payments for small business The Nationals-Liberal Government will ensure small businesses providing goods and services to the Government will receive faster payments. The Government will now be required to pay invoices for contracts worth up to $1 million within 20 calendar days, an improvement from the current policy of 30 days. This will…
Details13 consecutive months of jobs growth Labour force figures released by the ABS show the number of jobs in Australia has increased for the 13th straight month – the longest consecutive run of jobs growth since 1994. In October, the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 per cent. There are now 355,700 more Australians in work…
DetailsRoads to Recovery Last week [08-11-17] the Nationals-Liberal Government launched the first ever Roads to Recovery Statement of Expectations. Local Government Areas using funding from the Roads to Recovery (R2R) Program are urged to focus on improving road safety outcomes when undertaking local road upgrades. When selecting projects, councils are strongly urged to consider the…
DetailsMore support from Medicare Thousands of Australian patients and their families will now be able to access new Medicare supported treatments for breast and ovarian cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, stroke, lymphoma and liver tumours. Women with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer will be supported through a new genetic testing through the BRCA…
Details$31 million in additional funding for veteran mental health The Nationals-Liberal Government will provide an additional $31 million to support veterans’ mental health as part of its response to the Senate Inquiry into veterans’ suicide. We best honour the diggers of 1917 by ensuring our veterans in 2017 receive the support they need and deserve.…
Details300,000 small businesses benefit from instant asset write-off Almost 300,000 Australian small businesses have taken advantage of the Nationals-Liberal Government’s instant asset write-off according to 2015-16 tax office data. The instant asset write-off is directly helping small business bottom lines and improving cash flow for small business which means more investment in local communities, higher…
DetailsDigital assistants helping people complete claims online New digital assistants on the Department of Human Services’ website are answering simple questions and helping people complete their claims for family and student payments online so people don’t have to pick up the phone. Digital assistant ‘Sam’ is one component of the Government’s $1 billion investment in…
DetailsStay Smart Online Week Stay Smart Online Week, from 9-13 October, is a national awareness raising initiative to encourage Australians to be more proactive about their cyber security. Cybercrime is estimated to cost the Australian economy more than $1 billion a year, and around 43 per cent of cybercrimes are targeted at small businesses. The…
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